Year long Expressive Arts Therapy Course

 “Year-long Diploma Course in Expressive arts therapy”

Chennai’s East West Center for Counselling and Women's Christian College, Chennai presents a year-long course in Expressive arts therapy, Dec 2011 to Nov 2012.

Training in the various arts therapies is very rare in India especially as none of our colleges/ universities offer this course anywhere in India.  In this Course, the training is organised and facilitated by experts in Counselling.  This grounding of arts therapies in the practice of Counselling/ psychotherapy is one of this Course’s unique qualities and contributions.

In addition, one of the East-West Center for Counselling’s specialties is modifying Western therapeutic approaches for use in the Indian context; this would also be a major theme of the course.


The Department of Psychology, WCC was started in 1973 as an undergraduate department. It currently offers M.Sc., in Applied Psychology with two branches (i) Counselling & Psychotherapy (ii) Organizational Behaviour. The M.Phil. Program (full time) was introduced in 2001 and Ph.D. Program (full time) in 2005. In 2004-05 the U.G.C. career-oriented courses were started.  This comprises of Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Human Relations, offered to students of all departments. Equipping students with professional and personal skills that empower them and enhance their employability is one of the objectives of the department.

In this course, seven individuals trained in the USA, Canada and India would teach the various modalities of Expressive arts therapy.  They would be organised by Ms Magdalene Jeyarathnam, director of Chennai’s East West Center for Counselling, who along with faculty of the psychology department WCC, will also teach Counselling Skills and Ethics throughout the year-long Course.

Upon completion of the Course, participants would receive a diploma certifying them to have undergone 200 hours of training in Expressive arts therapy. 

About Expressive arts therapy:

Expressive arts therapy is the practice of using storytelling, singing, instrumental music, movement and dance, drama, and visual arts, all together, in an integrated way, to foster human growth, development, and healing.

Expressive arts therapy is predicated on the assumption that people can heal through use of imagination and the various forms of creative expression.

An Expressive arts therapist may specialise in a particular modality, but Expressive arts therapy is an inter-modal therapeutic discipline in which the therapist and client may move freely between drawing, dancing, music, drama, poetry, etc. 

In Expressive arts therapy, when the therapist and client see fit to do so, they discuss the client’s feelings and thoughts that have arisen in the client in the process of the client expressing him/herself in the artistic process.

Expressive arts therapy focuses on the client’s experience of expression, and on reflection upon the client’s feelings and thoughts that may have arisen during this experience.  The artistic product is of secondary importance.

Expressive arts therapy utilises a gentle non-judgmental approach, enabling the client to become aware of what is happening in his/her unconscious - through artistic expression, and then reflection upon and discussion about this expression.

Expressive arts therapy uses creative processes in therapeutic, rehabilitative, community, or educational settings to foster health, communication, and expression; promote the integration of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning; enhance self-awareness; and facilitate change, including in relation to personal growth and community development.

Expressive arts therapy can be practiced with individuals, couples, families, and groups.

Training Venue - Women's Christian College, Nungambakkam, Chennai

Course Fee - Rs 75,000/=

For further details:

Application forms will be available after Nov 10th with Dr Veena Esvaradoss, Psychology department, WCC and at the East West Center for Counselling's office.

Center for Counselling - (044) -42080810/ +91 9884100135
WCC - (044) - 28275926/ 28231676/ - ext 323(psychology department)
email-info@centerforcounselling.org

Art therapy course in Women's Christian College

This course is a special course for students of psychology from Women's Christian College. Students from other colleges studying counselling, social work or psychology(women students only) if interested in the course need to call 9884100135 for a brief interview. 

About the course:

Certificate: This is a certificate course for 50 hours. The students will get a certificate on completion of the course which is - making the case presentation which demonstrates their understanding on the subject. The certificate will be a joint certificate from East West Center for Counselling and Training, Chennai and Arts Interventions, Los Angels, USA and Women's Christian College.

Course Content:

Art Explorations This provides opportunity for the exploration of art materials in support of the development of and methods to use art in psychotherapy. This course will also cover self help art therapy techniques that can be used for clients as well as therapist for relieving stress and anxiety.

Fundamentals Marriage and Family Therapy This provides an introduction to systems theory as a foundation to therapeutic intervention. The groundwork provides the conceptual view for the exploration of various theoretical perspectives. A variety of family structures including traditional and non-traditional forms are studied as well as their clinical implications for the therapist.

Mental Health Settings Studies Using Art Therapy Techniques This will cover intake assessments and diagnosis according to the DSM-IV in addition to methods of using art therapy techniques in schools, hospitals, mental health, substance abuse facilities and private practice. It will also cover distance art therapy techniques that can be used by clients via live webcast.

Psychological Testing and Statistics Review of formal and informal psychological tests used for assessment, including issues of reliability, validity and item content. Projective drawings and structured clinical interviews are covered. Art assessments such as the H-T-P (House Tree Person) and Silvers Drawing assessments will be included in this course.

5 hours              Art Explorations

10 hours            Family Therapy

5 hours            Psychological Testing

5 hours            Mental Health Settings

10 hours             Trauma

5 hours           Art Explorations

5 hours           Mental Health issues due to physical illness/ injury

5 hours            Class project

Students are expected to attend all the classes.

The class will be held in WCC and will be twice or sometimes thrice a week between 1.30 to 4.30 PM.

For further details contact: 9884100135/ 044 - 42080810